A Florida man is charged with murdering his missing wife, and detectives say he had his niece overseas pose as her to make it look like she was still alive.
Story Highlights
- A Volusia County grand jury indicted Epifanio Ramos Gaminde, 48, of DeBary, on a first-degree murder charge in the death of his wife, Maria.
- Maria Gaminde, a mother of three who worked at University High School, was reported missing by her family in January 2024. Her body has not been found.
- Detectives say Gaminde sent Maria’s driver’s license and credit cards to his niece in the Philippines, who used them and sent texts and emails as if she were Maria.
- Gaminde is held without bond and also faces a federal immigration hold.
Murder Charge Nearly Three Years After She Vanished
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood laid out the case at a news conference on Tuesday, October 27, the day after a grand jury indicted Gaminde. A grand jury is a group of citizens who decide whether there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime. Detectives say Gaminde killed Maria in late December 2023 and then had her cards used and messages sent in her name to make it look like she had left on her own. Police have not released a motive.
Gaminde told investigators the couple had marriage problems and that Maria left for the Philippines or Japan. The sheriff does not believe him. “Every interview he has given us has just been a lie,” Chitwood said. Gaminde is accused, not convicted, and no statement from him or a lawyer for him has been reported.
The indictment says he acted with premeditation, which means he planned the killing ahead of time, sometime between December 19 and December 31, 2023, according to court records reported by local news.
The Texts That Did Not Sound Like Her
Maria’s last known activity was a trip with her children to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World on December 16, 2023, where her fingerprints were confirmed at the park entrance. Four days later, Gaminde allegedly texted her asking where she was. After that, her own messages stopped, and new ones started coming from overseas.
For months, her family got texts and emails that were supposed to be from Maria. They also saw her credit cards being used in Japan and the Philippines. By July 2024, relatives told investigators that something was not right. Detectives found no flight records showing Maria ever left the United States.
A Niece In The Philippines Tells All
With help from the FBI, a detective and a prosecutor flew to the Philippines to talk with Gaminde’s niece. Detectives say she admitted she made the purchases and sent the messages at Gaminde’s direction. “She gives up everything,” Chitwood said. The sheriff said the niece told them Maria’s driver’s license and credit cards were sent to her, with instructions on where to go in Japan to shop and where to go in the Philippines.
“There’s no financial trail. There’s nothing that would indicate that Maria is alive,” Chitwood said. He also said Gaminde had been arrested twice before for domestic violence.
The Search Behind The Home
Investigators searched the couple’s DeBary property after a neighbor said Gaminde did a lot of work behind the house around the time Maria disappeared. They dug near a fountain in an area where concrete appeared to have been added. “We may get lucky, we may not get lucky,” Chitwood said. Officials have not said whether the search turned up Maria’s remains.
Prosecutors say they will go ahead either way. “We’re fully prepared to move forward without the body,” said R.J. Larizza, the state attorney for the area. Gaminde was first stopped for driving without a license and was already in custody when the indictment came down. He is held at the Volusia County Branch Jail under a detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a request to keep him locked up so immigration officers can take custody of him. The couple’s three young sons have since been reunited with Maria’s family.
Sources:
foxnews.com, wftv.com, wesh.com, lawandcrime.com, news-journalonline.com
